Rouen & Giverny On Your Own: Monet's House & Gardens

10.5 hours | Paris/Normandy (Le Havre) | L E H - 1 9 0
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$ 179.95
Includes meal, Moderate activity

Description

Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.

Your tour begins as you board your motorcoach for a scenic drive through the Norman countryside on the motorway to Giverny. a pretty village situated on the banks of the River Seine and best known as the home of Claude Monet. You will have approximately 1 ½ hour free time to explore on your own and discover Giverny's points of interest:
The Monet's House & Gardens
Claude Monet spent the last four decades of his life creating a magnificent garden at his home, and memorializing it in oil on canvas. Discover a flower garden called Clos Normand, ablaze with color in summer, with of tulips, roses, dahlias, sunflowers and nasturtiums. Monet created his garden with an eye for how it would appear on canvas.
You'll approach the pink crushed-brick house adorned with green shutters through the garden entrance. Inside, visit the salon, Monet's bedroom, his Nympheas Studio, the yellow dining room and the tiled kitchen, noticing Japanese prints and the work of his artists friends line the walls throughout.
You'll marvel at the Japanese-inspired water garden as you witness the Japanese bridge surrounded by wisteria and azaleas as you look over the lily pond. The pond and bridge were the subjects of one of Monet's late masterworks.

The Museum of Impressionisms
This museum traces the history of impressionist artists, marked by Claude Monet, leader of this mid-19th Century artistic movement. Discover the Permanent Exhibit, which displays works that reflect Monet's influence on his contemporaries and on the generations that followed him, but also a temporary exhibition (each season, the museum hosts two to three temporary exhibitions that bring together the biggest current impressionist names, notably the community of painters from Giverny and the Vallée de la Seine).
Besides the exhibitions, enjoy a stroll in the beautiful landscaped gardens surrounding the museum.

Your tour continues with a drive to Fourges for lunch at a picturesque restaurant housed in a restored barn on the banks of the Seine. You'll dine on salmon terrine with creamy sauce, an emince of chicken with cream, apple tart with calvados, and wine, then board your motorcoach for a drive to Rouen.

You'll disembark near the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen to begin your walking tour though the old section of Rouen, down narrow cobbled lanes lined with ancient, timbered houses. Rouen boasts over 700 of these medieval structures.

You'll continue down the bustling Rue Saint Romain and the Rue du Gros Horloge, passing Rouen's old fortified clock tower and law courts, housed in a Renaissance building. You'll visit the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen, a superb example of French Gothic architecture that took 300 years to complete. The cast iron spire is the largest in France and the central portal features an elaborately painted "Tree of Jesus." Your guide escorts you into the interior, which features a Lady Chapel, the tombs of Rouen's archbishops, secure behind wrought iron gates, and impressive 15th-century stained glass windows.

Next on your itinerary is the Place du Vieux Marché, the Old Marketplace, the site where the English burned Joan of Arc at the stake. Today, the square boasts the Great Cross of Rehabilitation erected in tribute to the Maid of Orleans, a daring modern church is dedicated to her memory.

Before departing for the ship, you'll have approximately 45 minutes in the city center to shop and browse. You'll find an eclectic mix of gifts and souvenirs, as the busy streets are lined with boutiques, jewelers, perfumeries and modern department stores such as Le Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.

Special Notes:

On Sundays in Rouen, the majority of the boutiques and shops remain closed; however, souvenir stores, restaurants, cafés and bakeries remain open.

Use of an audio headset (included) will enhance your tour experience.

Museum visits in Giverny are subject to possible social distancing measures being implemented.
Claude Monet's House is closed from 1st November to 1st April.
Visit of Rouen Cathedral is subjected to ceremonies - closed on Monday & Sunday mornings

Details

Tour timeline may vary to avoid overcrowding, etc.

Depart from ship for a visit on your own of Giverny

Transport type:
Motorcoach
Transport Capacity:
40
Travel time:
02:00
Time at site:
01:25
Free time at site:
85
Restroom available:
Yes
Shopping available:
Yes
Photo/video restrictions:
No
Photo/video opportunity:
Yes

Lunch at Moulin de Fourges

Time at site:
01:45
Free time at site:
105
Inside visit:
Yes
Restroom available:
Yes
Photo/video restrictions:
No
Photo/video opportunity:
Yes

Guided walking tour of Rouen and visit to Notre Dame Cathedral of Rouen

Transport type:
Walking
Travel time:
1:40
Time at site:
01:00
Free time at site:
60
Inside visit:
Yes

Re-board your motorcoach and return to your ship

Transport type:
Motorcoach
Transport Capacity:
40
Travel time:
01:30